Connector plates



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CONNEC TOR PLATES Filed Aug. 4, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 WALTER G.MOEHLENPAHJ GEORGE F. EBERLE, "DAVID H. IMMING,

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' May 30, 1967 w. G. MOEHLENPAH ETAL y 30, 1967 w. G. MOEHLENPAH ETAL3,32 ,018

CONNECTOH PLATES Filed Aug. 4, 1965 I s Sheets-Sheet :5

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United States Patent 3,322,018 CONNECTOR PLATES Walter G. Moehlenpah,Ladue, Mo., George F. Eberle, Palo Alto, Calif., and David H. Imming,Ferguson, Mo., assignors to Hydro-Air Engineering, Inc., St. Louis,

Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Aug. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 477,175 3Claims. (Cl. 85-13) This invention relates to metal connector plates andmore particularly to nailing plates of this class having a plurality ofteeth struck from sheet metal, for driving into and securing togetheradjacent structural members composed of wood or the like.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision ofa plate of the class described in which teeth struck therefrom are of animproved shape to be accepted in wood without tooth collapse but whichupon being completely driven will be so disposed in the wood as toincrease tooth withdrawal resistance; the provision in a plate of teethof the class described which will also more efl'iciently resist appliedtension, compression, shear and torsion forces in the structural memberswhich are to be secured; the provision of a connector plate of the classdescribed in which the teeth are arranged according to an improved arrayfor taking best advantage of the holding action of the teeth and forefficiently distributing such holding action throughout the plate area;and the provision of low-cost connector plates of this class made ofeconomical comparatively light-gage sheet metal. Other objects and'features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafterdescribed, the scope of the invention being set forth in the followingclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possibleembodiments of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. '1 is a broken plan view of a connector plate made according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan view illustrating one corner of aplate shown as driven into a wooden member of a structural joint;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a tooth;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the tooth of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the tooth, being a rightside elevation ofFIG. 5;

FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 11 are cross sections taken on lines 7-7, 8-8, 9-9,10-10 and 11-11, respectively, of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 12 is a front elevation of a tooth;

FIG. 13 is a vertical central section taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 12;and

FIGS. 14 and 15 are transverse sections taken on lines 14-14 and 15-15,respectively, of FIG. 3.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawmgs.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown at numeral 1 a rectangularsheet-metal plate having an outer face 3 and an inner face 5 and fromwhich elongate teeth 7 are struck. The plate may be cut from metal stripeither after, before, or at the time the teeth are struck. A preferredthickness is approximately gage; but this is not to be considered aslimiting. The teeth are struck out by appropriate striking and bendingdies. The teeth 7 project in an upright direction from the face 5, eachtooth leaving vacated an elongate opening or slot 9 which conformsgenerally to the peripheral outline of the tooth which has been struckout. p

The teeth 7 are struck from the plate material preferably in an arraysuch as shown in FIG. 1. This array 3,322,018 Patented May 30, 1967preferably consists of crosswise rows of teeth arranged in pairs of rowsas indicated by broken lines R. The teeth 7 on the members of each pairof rows are oppositely struck. The elongate slots 9 vacated by theseteeth remain in the interdigitated arrangement shown between pairs ofrows R. The teeth are also arranged in longitudinal c01- umns C-1 andC-2, also indicated by :broken lines. The columns C-1 and C2 arearranged in bands of six each. A band is indicated by the letter B.There are three columns C-1 and three columns C-2 in each band B. Theteeth in the three columns C-1 are punched and bent in adirectionopposite to the direction in which the teeth are punched andbent in the three columns C-2.

Each tooth has the bent form shown in FIGS. 4-13. This form comprises aroot or base portion 11 provided by two dihedrally related Wings 13connected on a central bend line 15, thereby to obtain in horizontalcross sections a channel shape (see FIGS. 4, 5, 7 and 8). The wings 13have generally quadrilateral forms. Side edges 17 of the wings 13converge slightly in an upward direction. The quadrilateral shapes ofthe wings taper outwardly and upwardly to points 21. They are connectedby a transition wall 27 joined with wings 13 on bend lines 19. The bendlines 19 connect with bend line 15 at a point 23. The transition wall 27terminates the channel shape of the base 11 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). Thewall 27 terminates in shoulders 29 and a transverse bend 31. Thus apentagonal form of the transition wall 27 is outlined by the two bendlines 19, bend line 31 and shoulders 29. The bend lines 19 converge onbend line 15 and terminate it. At numeral 35 is shown a tongue which isconnected to transition wall 27 on the bend line 31. The tongue 35 isangled backward on line 31 slightly from the vertical, preferably atapproximately 1,5, as shown in FIG. 6. Thus it is bent away from theconcave side of the channel formed by wings 13. The tongue hassubstantially parallel sides 36 and a converging end formed by a roundedportion 38. Convergence may also be obtained by pointing the end, ifdesired. The side edges 17, shoulders 29 and sides 36 have the aspect ofa slight charnfer due to the operations which are performed by the diepunch. This is illustrated by the double outlines on FIG. 5. A fillet 25is also formed on the back of each tooth as it is bent out by the die.

As shown in FIGS. 7-11, ascending cross sections of the tooth start withcomparatively deep channel-shaped sections in the dihedral base 11(FIGS. 7 and 8), then change to more nearly flat cross sections in thetransition wall 27 (FIGS. 9 and 10) and in the tongue 35 (FIG. 11). Thebending operations eifect a slight offset at 22 in the sides 17 justbelow the shoulders 29.

In view of the above, it will be seen that there is established a toothwhich is strong in shear and torsion. When the plate is initially driveninto the wood, the tongue 35 will pierce without the tongue or any otherpart of the tooth collapsing. Toward the end of the piercing operation,as resistance of the Wood increases, the tongue 35 will be bent on line31 from its initial 15 position. Bending is in a direction away from theconvex side of the channelshaped base. The result is that the tonguewill assume a position in the wood at about 45 or more to the plane ofthe plate 1. This is best illustrated in the FIG. 14 central toothsection which also shows the resulting sinuosity in the tooth, whichfavors a high withdrawal resistance. In FIG. 15 is shown the dispositionof a part of the tooth adjacent to the tongue 35. It will beunderstoodthat the exact shape of the tooth in wood is not always the same anddepends upon the type of wood. Thus it will be understood that thetongue angle shown is also somewhat variable, and that the sinuosity ofthe tooth will vary.

Referring to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the array of teeth in columnsand rows as above described results in zig-zag diagonally related toothpairs P-1 and P-2 in a given band of teeth B. This provides an effectivedistribution of the holding action of the. teeth in the wood over therectangular area of the plate. Also, where opposed bending actionsoccur, as between tooth pairs P1, and where the grain of the wood ispierced by oppositely bent tongues, the plate is strongest, being freeof any openings throughout its entire width. On the other hand, wherethe cross section of the plate between tooth pairs P-Z has had metalremoved because of the interdigitated holes the grain of the wood hasnot been pierced by any bent tongues and is strongest. Thus there isprevented a condition wherein a joint will have any excessively weakareas therein. V

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other ad- 'vantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

' What is claimed is:

1. A connector for securing together adjacent wood structural memberscomprising a metal plate having a plurality of upright teeth struck outtherefrom, each of said teeth comprising a base portion having a centralupright bend line to form a dihedral connection between lower portionsof side wings to produce a cross-sectional channel shape in the baseportion, a transition wall transversely connected with upper innerportions of said side .wings by outwardly angled bend lines, the outsideof each wing and its respective angled bend line tapering the wingupwardly and outwardly to spaced points, the surface of said transitionwall being angled with respect to the tapered portions of the wings toterminate said channel shape, a tongue connected with said transitionwall by a transverse bend line located above said spaced points of theside wings, said transition wall being outlined by said angled bendlines, by said transverse bend line and by angled shoulders extending upfrom said spaced points to endwise points of said transverse bend line,said tongue being angled on the transverse bend line in a direction awayfrom the concave side of the channel shape.

2. A connector for securing together adjacent wood A. structural memberscomprising a metal plate having a plurality of upright teeth struck outtherefrom, each of said teeth comprising a base portion having a centralupright bend line to form a dihedral connection between side wings toproduce a cross-sectional channel shape in the base portion, each ofsaid side wings being of quadrilateral shape tapering upwardly andoutwardly to an elevated point, a transition wall transversely connectedwith said side wings by outwardly angled bend lines extending from theupper end of said central bend line to said points respectively, thesurface of said wall being angled with respect to said wings toterminate said channel shape, a tongue connected with said transitionwall i by a transverse bend line located above said points of the sidewings, said transition wall being outlined by said angled bend lines, bysaid transverse bend'line and by angled shoulders extending up from saidpoints to said transverse bend line, said tongue being angled on thetransverse bend line in a direction away from the concave side of thechannel shape.

3. A connector for securing together adjacent wood structural memberscomprising a metal plate having a plurality of upright teeth struck outtherefrom, each of said teeth having a form comprising a root portionhaving a bend to form equally shaped quadrilateral side wing portionsand a channel shape in cross section, said side wing portions taperingupwardly and outwardly to terminate in sidewise locations, a tongue, atcross wall carrying the tongue on a transverse bend which angles thetongue away from the concave side of the channel shape, the shape ofsaid cross wall in elevation being of pentagonal form defined first bythe bends between it and the wings, second by said bend of the tongue,and third by angular shoulders converging from said sidewise locationstoward the tongue, said tongue having a convergent end and substantiallyparallel sides, said shoulders meeting the tongue at the ends of saidbend from which the tongue extends.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

R. S. BRITTS, Assistant Examiner,

1. A CONNECTOR FOR SECURING TOGETHER ADJACENT WOOD STRUCTURAL MEMBERSCOMPRISING A METAL PLANE HAVING A PLURALITY OF UPRIGHT TEETH STRUCK OUTTHEREFROM, EACH OF SAID TEETH COMPRISING A BASE PORTION HAVING A CENTRALUPRIGHT BEND LINE TO FORM A DIHEDRAL CONNECTION BETWEEN LOWER PORTIONSOF SIDE WINGS TO PRODUCE A CROSS-SECTIONAL CHANNEL SHAPE IN THE BASEPORTION, A TRANSITION WALL TRANSVERSELY CONNECTED WITH UPPER INNERPORTIONS OF SAID SIDE WINGS BY OUTWARDLY ANGLED BEND LINES, THE OUTSIDEOF EACH WING AND ITS RESPECTIVE ANGLED BEND LINES, THE OUTSIDE OF EACHUPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY TO SPACED POINTS, THE SURFACE OF SAID TRANSITIONWALL BEING ANGLED WITH RESPECT TO THE TAPERED PORTIONS OF THE WINGS TOTERMINATE SAID CHANNEL SHAPE, A TONGUE CONNECTED WITH SAID TRANSITIONWALL BY A TRANSVERSE BEND LINE LOCATED ABOVE SAID SPACED POINTS OF THESIDE WINGS, SAID TRANSITION WALL BEING OUTLINED BY SAID ANGLED BENDLINES, BY SAID TRANSVERSE BEND LINE AND BY ANGLED SHOULDERS EXTENDING UPFROM SAID SPACED POINTS TO ENDWISE POINTS OF SAID TRANSVERSE BEND LINE,SAID TONGUE BEING ANGLED ON THE TRANSVERSE BEND LINE IN A DIRECTION AWAYFROM THE CONCAVE SIDE OF THE CHANNEL SHAPE.